Sweets, Suspects, and Women Sleuths Cozy Mystery Set

by Meredith Potts

  “Or even one.”

  “Exactly. Yet here we are, which each of the suspects looking guilty in their own way.”

  “Like I said, you need to take a break from this case. Go take care of Summer.”

  “That’s the thing. I wish I had better news to share with her. I mean, I can’t bring her sister back, but I really thought that we’d be a lot closer to finding the killer by now.”

  “I’m sure Summer knows that you’re doing your best.”

  “Except that during times like this, results are what matter the most.”

  “Don’t be too hard on yourself. This case is already difficult enough.”

  “I guess you’re right.”

  “Besides, who knows what tomorrow will bring?” I said.

  Chapter Thirteen

  A good night’s rest was usually just what I needed to get my head straight. But when I woke up the next morning, I didn’t end up having a revelation about the case. Instead, I found myself staring down the same old questions.

  Answers eluded me for another three days. By that point, I felt inescapably stumped. To make matters worse, Joe was just as baffled as I was. Rarely had our collective wisdom added up to so little. We weren’t the only ones coming up short. The crime lab was of no help either.

  I found myself stewing in an absurd amount of frustration. The problem was, I didn’t see any end in sight. With each hour that ticked by, it became harder to remain optimistic about the case.

  Then, on Thursday afternoon, I received a phone call from Joe that nearly took my breath away. He had some wildly unexpected news for me.

  When our conversation ended ten minutes later, I needed to take a few moments to compose myself.

  I then jumped in my car and met up with him at Matthew Wheaton’s house.

  When I pulled up in front of the brown Spanish-Style house, a number of squad cars were already there, as was a van.

  Joe greeted me at the bottom of the driveway. From there, we both walked toward the medical examiner’s van.

  “Can you believe this?” Joe asked.

  “Honestly, I’m still in shock,” I said.

  “I’m right there with you. But I’ll take a break any way I can get it,” he said.

  “I understand. Still, it’s hard to believe that a lead like this just fell into your lap.”

  “Whether you believe it or not, it’s hard to ignore a find like this,” Joe said.

  Joe stopped at the van and grabbed an evidence bag. Inside the bag was a bloodstained knife.

  “The lab still has to test the knife, but it’s a really good bet that this blood belongs to April,” Joe said.

  I looked at the side of Matthew’s house where a garbage can stood next to the garage.

  “And you found this knife in the garbage?” I asked.

  Joe nodded. “I know. Crazy, huh?”

  My nose crinkled. “Not just that. It doesn’t make sense.”

  “Maybe not to you, but that’s exactly where we found it,” Joe said.

  “I meant, if you were a killer, why would you throw out the murder weapon in a garbage can at your house?” I asked.

  Joe shrugged. “That part is a head scratcher.”

  “It’s more than that. I mean, we’re only a few miles from the ocean. Why not dispose of the weapon there? Or in a nearby swamp? Or anywhere but at your house?”

  “I wish I had a better answer for you. All I can say is that maybe Matthew just got careless.”

  I looked at squad car. Matthew Wheaton was being detained in the back.

  “Have you talked to Matthew yet?” I said.

  Joe nodded.

  “And?” I asked.

  “He denies any involvement.”

  “No surprise there.”

  “He says he’s being framed.”

  “Of course.”

  “But you can’t argue with evidence like this.”

  “True.” I scratched my chin. “Still, something isn’t sitting right with me.”

  “Can you be more specific?” he asked.

  “How did you even know to come over here? Or to root through Matthew’s garbage can?”

  “9-1-1 got an anonymous call.”

  My eyes widened. “Anonymous?”

  “I know how you feel about anonymous calls, but this one panned out. The caller said they saw Matthew throwing the knife out in his garbage can,” Joe said.

  I shook my head in disbelief. Something about this was just rubbing me the wrong way. I turned away from the garbage can and did a quick visual scan of the neighborhood. As I did, my forehead wrinkled.

  “Hope, what are you thinking?” Joe said.

  “Just bear with me, all right?” I said.

  “Okay,” Joe said. “Now what’s going on?”

  “For someone to have seen Matthew put the knife in the trash, they’d have to have a direct line of sight to this garbage can. Now, the way I see it, there are only six houses on this block that fit that description.”

  Joe gave the street a quick visual scan of his own. “That sounds about right.”

  “I say we knock on some doors. My instincts are telling me there’s a lot more to this story.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Knocking on doors proved to be far more fruitful than I even imagined. While making our rounds of the neighborhood, Joe and I stumbled upon an eye-opening discovery.

  Upon further investigation, our newfound lead took us across town to Wesley Wilkerson’s house. At first, Wesley refused to open his door. Finally, after three sets of knocks, he came outside to speak with us.

  As expected, he was in a foul mood.

  “Go away,” Wesley said.

  “Not a chance,” Joe replied.

  “I don’t have anything to say to you,” Wesley replied.

  “Fine. We’ll do the talking,” I said.

  “Why don’t you just leave?” Wesley snapped.

  “I’m afraid we can’t do that,” I said.

  “Sure you can,” Wesley said.

  “Not with what we know,” I said.

  Wesley’s eyebrows knitted. “What are you talking about?”

  “Wesley, I don’t know who you think you’re fooling, but it isn’t us. We know you killed April,” I said.

  Wesley scoffed. “This is ridiculous.”

  “I know that’s what you’d like us to believe, but we’ve got you,” I said.

  Wesley snickered. “You’re crazy.”

  I shook my head. “No. There’s only one crazy person in this conversation, and it’s you.”

  “How dare you—?”

  Joe interrupted Wesley. “Give it a rest already. We know what you did. Just admit it. You killed April.”

  Wesley folded his arms. “If you’re going to make an accusation like that, I hope you have proof.”

  “As a matter of fact, we do,” Joe said.

  Wesley sneered. “You’re bluffing.”

  “You wish. You tried your best to pin the murder on Matthew Wheaton, but in the process, you made a very big mistake,” I said.

  Wesley threw out his arms. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You were the one who planted the murder weapon in Matthew’s garbage can. A short time later, you placed an anonymous call to 9-1-1. The one thing you failed to do was keep yourself from being spotted by one of Matthew’s neighbors,” I said.

  Wesley’s face went pale.

  “That promotion meant the world to you. Not only would you have significantly more money in your pocket, but it was the next step in your goal of one day becoming the store’s general manager. So you couldn’t believe it when April got promoted instead of you. But you were more than just outraged. You were determined to get what you wanted. You knew that if April was out of the picture, the promotion would be as good as yours. So you killed her,” I said.

  Wesley didn’t say a word.

  I continued. “Then we came around asking all kinds of questions. After our conversa
tion a few days ago, you probably figured that it was only a matter of time before we put the pieces together. So you decided to frame Matthew for the crime. As April’s ex-husband, he seemed like the perfect fall guy. But like I said before, you slipped up. And now it’s all over for you. So why don’t you just admit what you did?”

  Wesley took a deep breath and then blurted out the truth. “Yeah. I did it, all right? That was my promotion. My ticket to a better life. And I wasn’t about to let April take what was mine.”

  I shook my head in disgust. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

  Joe handcuffed Wesley then hauled him off to the police station where he was booked for murder.

  Epilogue

  A week later

  “Happy Birthday,” I said.

  I handed my brother a wrapped present as he stood in the doorway of his Spanish-style home.

  “Thank you,” Joe said.

  Daniel stood beside me on the front doorstep and was quick to point out the brand-new football jersey that Joe was wearing. “Nice jersey.”

  Joe beamed. “I know, right?” He turned to Summer, who was standing beside him in the foyer of his house. “I have my wonderful girlfriend to thank for that.”

  Joe wrapped his arm over Summer’s shoulder.

  “I’m just glad that you like it,” Summer said.

  “Was there ever any doubt that I would?” Joe asked.

  Clearly, Joe didn’t realize how nervous Summer had been about picking out the right gift. Summer and I exchanged knowing smiles.

  “I hope you like our gift as well,” I said.

  I was pretty sure he would. What man didn’t enjoy free football tickets?

  “I’ll tell you what I love—being able to spend my birthday with friends and family instead of running around town like a madman trying to chase after a killer,” Joe said.

  I nodded. “Yeah. Being able to close the book on this case was a gift in itself.”

  “It really was. Peace of mind is an amazing thing,” I said.

  Daniel held up a brown takeout bag. “Do you know what else is pretty amazing? Donuts.”

  Joe’s eyes lit up. “You brought me donuts?”

  I chuckled.

  Joe scrunched his nose. “What’s so funny?”

  “You seem more excited about the donuts than the present I brought you,” I said.

  “I’m sure I’ll love your present too, but I know that I love donuts,” Joe said.

  Joe grabbed a chocolate-glazed donut from the bag and took a bite.

  Summer squinted. “Honey, are you really going to eat that now?”

  “Why wouldn’t I?” Joe asked.

  “Because we’re going to be grilling up hamburgers and hot dogs in a few minutes,” Summer said.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll have room for those too,” Joe said.

  “I have my doubts, but I’ll keep my mouth shut since it’s your birthday,” Summer said.

  Joe held his pointer finger up. “Never question a man’s appetite.”

  “You’re right. That was foolish of me,” Summer joked.

  “Speaking of, time to head out back. Those burgers aren’t going to grill themselves,” Joe said.

  “They sure won’t, and I’m hungry…for something other than donuts,” Summer joked.

  “Good. You know I don’t like to share baked goods,” Joe said.

  I chuckled. “You aren’t kidding. Want to see a different side to my brother? All you have to do is come between him and his sweets.”

  Daniel and Summer both laughed at my wisecrack.

  I put my hand on my brother’s shoulder. “It’s a good thing you’re more generous in other areas of your life.”

  “Speaking of, we’d like to invite you and Daniel out to dinner tomorrow,” Joe said.

  “It’s our treat,” Summer added.

  “Free food?” I said. “How can we say no to that?”

  “Just to be clear, you’re inviting us to dinner at a restaurant, not at the donut shop, right?” Daniel said.

  “Of course,” Joe said. “I can’t believe you’d even ask me that.”

  “Well, you do love your baked goods,” Daniel said.

  Joe took a big bite of his donut and then playfully said, “Guilty as charged.”

  The End.

  Murder and Chocolate Brownies

  Chapter One

  “I need a day off,” I said.

  “Take one then. You’ve certainly earned the right to relax,” David said. “Besides, your staff at the coffee shop knows what they are doing. Daley Buzz won’t fall apart if you skip work for one day.”

  “I can’t disagree with that—”

  “It’s settled then. Kick up your feet. You’re not going into work this morning.”

  I smiled. “Look at you, making an executive decision.”

  “Normally, I don’t like to speak for you, but you do have a tendency to overwork yourself. That’s why I believe that a little rest can go a long way.”

  “Typically, I’d agree with you,” I said. “But it isn’t just work that has been exhausting me lately. It’s life.”

  David took a deep breath. “I know what you mean.”

  “What I really want is for the entire world to calm down.”

  “That would certainly be nice.”

  “The problem is, I have no control over that.”

  “Neither do I,” he said.

  “The universe doesn’t ask for our input before hurling a crazy twist our way. And there have been all kinds of curveballs thrown in our direction lately.”

  Of all the developments that had taken place in Treasure Cove recently, the one that was weighing on my thoughts the most was the last case that I investigated. Mostly because the truth was far different than I ever expected.

  On the surface, it seemed like Joe Carlisle had died at the hands of a murderer. In reality, Joe’s killer, Denise Carlisle, never intended to take his life. Instead, she had acted in self-defense.

  Unfortunately, the district attorney did not believe Denise’s story. So, instead of letting her go free, the top prosecutor in town charged Denise with second-degree murder. Thankfully, the jury believed Denise’s story and acquitted her.

  While I felt relieved that the case was finally over, it was scary to think that things could have turned out much differently. In addition, both the investigation and the trial had been such nail-biting experiences that I felt absolutely drained.

  That wasn’t all. If I lived in a different town, maybe I would believe that the Carlisle trial was a rare exception. That life would slowly but surely go back to normal. However, as a lifelong resident of Treasure Cove, I knew that bizarre things seemed to take place in my hometown on a regular basis. It should come as no surprise then that instead of asking if something wild would ever happen again, I began to wonder how long I could go before the rug was pulled out from under me once more.

  As I stared into David’s eyes, I let my worries spill out. “As you know, our wacky little hometown has a knack for turning our lives upside down.”

  He chuckled. “What a unique way of putting it.”

  I threw my arms out. “What can I say? Ordinary descriptions don’t apply to a town as extraordinary as this.”

  “You aren’t kidding,” he said. “I do ask myself sometimes if things will ever quiet down around here.”

  “Are you sure you want me to answer that question?”

  “Maybe not.”

  “We can certainly pray for normalcy to return to our lives. Although, over the last few years, I’ve been praying for peace every single night and I don’t have much to show for it.”

  He exhaled. “I know what you mean. Which is all the more reason to appreciate this moment of serenity while it lasts.”

  “Here’s hoping that it will continue longer than just a moment.”

  “You’re right.” He turned to the door. “Anyway, as much as I wish I could stay here with you, I need to be getting to work.”<
br />
  “I understand. Stay safe out there.”

  “That’s the plan. In all honesty, I’m hoping for a really slow day at the office.”

  “Fingers crossed.”

  David leaned in and gave me a kiss. “Love you.”

  “I love you too,” I said.

  Chapter Two

  Taking a day off was a good idea. At least in concept. In practice, things didn’t work out quite as planned. Of course, some of that was my own fault. I was so used to keeping busy that staring down an entire day with no plans was completely foreign to me.

  Talk about irony. I spent so much time craving relaxation. Yet when the opportunity to get some finally presented itself, I became restless.

  Don’t get me wrong. I tried to just take it easy. I started by brewing a cup of coffee and cracking open a book. The problem was, all the books I had at home were mysteries, and I was in no mood to dive into a case, even a fictional one. A few minutes after opening up the novel, I closed it up and put it back on my bookshelf.

  From there, I found myself staring out the window. Unfortunately, it was not a good day to get lost in thought. The deeper my head drifted into the clouds, the more I found myself focusing on the crazy things that had happened recently.

  Instead of lingering on that point, I decided to turn on the television to distract myself. Before long, I found myself binge-watching some trashy reality show. I ended up getting so wrapped up in the show that two full hours went by in what seemed like the blink of an eye. As a matter of fact, the only reason I noticed that so much time had passed was because I got up to go to the bathroom and checked my phone before I headed back to the couch.

  After realizing what a black hole I had been sucked into, I quickly grabbed the remote control and turned off the TV before the entire day was lost to reality shows.

  If ever there was a good time to get some fresh air, it was right then. By that point, my tummy was also starting to rumble. It wasn’t exactly a surprise then when I ended up finding my way over to Mitchell’s Bakery. After all, I had a weakness for sweets. And Mitchell’s made the best pastries in town.